June 18, 2013
Judge Tom
3

Should the DUI blood alcohol level for drivers be lowered?

don't drink and drive

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an investigative agency that advocates on behalf of safety issues for Americans. They make recommendations and have no authority to change state or federal laws.

In May, 2013, the NTSB voted to recommend to states that they lower the blood-alcohol content that constitutes drunken driving. Nearly 10,000 people die each year from alcohol-related traffic accidents and 170,00 are injured. The NTSB recommends moving the current .08 to .05. Do you think that is too strict or that the U.S. would then have the strictest laws in the world? That wouldn’t be the case. Most countries in Europe and South America, as well as Russia and Australia have set levels at .05.

Photo by Mike Kline (Flickr)

Photo by Mike Kline (Flickr)

The NTSB estimates saving 1,000 lives a year by lowering the standard. However, it may take awhile for this to affect you. It took 21 years for the rate to be dropped from .10 to .08. Do you think this is a good idea? Is it needed considering the annual loss of life across the country? Do you know how much you have to drink before hitting the .08 level? Is that important to you and your friends?

In the meantime, if you’re over 21, drink responsibly and drive safe. The life you save may be your own or that of a loved one.

Update:  In March, 2017, Utah became the first state to lower the level to 05. The law goes into effect on December 31, 2018.

 

Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

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3 Comments

  • Christopher Johnson
    June 18, 2013 10:43 am count( 0 )

    I think lowering the BAC would do more harm overall to society than good. Less than 6% of alcohol-related traffic fatalities involve a driver (or passenger)with a BAC of .07 or lower. This equals about 1000 people a year which is less than the annual fluctuations in overall traffic fatalities every year since the 1980’s. In fact over 80% involve drivers with a BAC of .1 or higher with the majority involving a driver with a BAC of .15! By lowering the legally allowable BAC we would only increase the number of people prosecuted for DWI/DUI without improving the accident rates in a meaningful way.
    Thank you for your comments, Chris and for the research & statistics on this. Stay safe.